nxne08, day 1

Lightspeed Champion, Flowers Forever — June 11 @ Lee's Palace

Flowers Forever


Lightspeed Champion

rowdysuperst*r

Rowdysuperst*r just released a video for his song "Tick Tock".
I don't understand why he's not signed.

Check out his Myspace to hear other tracks like "Queen Sheba" and "Sex Love All the Rest".

nxne08

North By Northeast 2008 begins in less than 5 hours! Don’t know who to see because of the overwhelming number of bands participating at this year’s festival? Check out the schedule of the bands I hope to see… maybe it can help on narrowing down your choices.
[!!!] indicates shows that I am most excited about

June 11
9:30 pm Flowers Forever @ Lee’s Palace [myspace] (part of NXNE XTRA SERIES)
10:30 pm Lightspeed Champion @ Lee’s Palace [myspace] (part of NXNE XTRA SERIES) [!!!]

June 12
(first choice)
10:00 pm The Rough Sea @ Savannah Room [myspace] [!!!]

1:00 am These New Puritans @ Reverb [myspace] [!!!]

(backup)
11:00 pm Amos The Transparent @ Supermarket [myspace]
12:00 am Great Bloomers @ Supermarket [myspace]

June 13
(first choice)
5:00 pm Calm Down It’s Monday [myspace], Old Man Ludecke [website], Shotgun Jimmie [myspace], The Superfantastics [myspace], Mardeen [myspace] @ Criminal Records (FREE!!!!!!!) [!!!]

10:00 pm Great Lake Swimmers @ Reverb [myspace] [!!!]

12:00 am The Besnard Lakes @ Lee’s Palace [myspace] [!!!]

(backup)
11:00 pm Julie Doiron @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern [myspace]
12: 00 am The Pack A.D. @ Sneaky Dee’s [myspace]

June 14
6:00 pm The Pack A.D. @ Criminal Records [myspace] (FREE!!!!!!!)

9:00 pm Dance Yourself to Death @ Holy Joe’s [myspace]
10:00 pm We Are Balboa @ Holy Joe’s [myspace] [!!!]

11:00 pm Elfin Saddle @ Silver Dollar [myspace] [!!!]
12:00 am The Luyas @ Silver Dollar [myspace] [!!!]
1:00 am Slim Twig @ Silver Dollar [myspace]

2:00 am KAKKMADDAFAKKA @ Sneaky Dee’s [myspace] [!!!]

June 15
9:00 pm We Are Balboa @ El Mocambo [myspace] [!!!]
10:00 pm This Is Radio Freedom @ El Mocambo [myspace]
11:00 pm ASC @ El Mocambo [myspace]

sigur rós: með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

After listening to Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust obsessively in the past 24 hours, my initial thoughts on the album are as follow:

• Sigur Rós departs from the gloomy (and sometimes very depressing) tone. The new record is rather uplifting as songs such as "Gobbledigook", "Inn Í Mér Syngur Vitleysingur", "Við Spilum Endalaust", and "Suð Í Eyrum" are triumphant and celebratory sounding.
• It is the most vocal driven and least experimental album in the group’s discography.
• One of the best albums of the year and yet another indescribably stunning Sigur Rós album!

Inn Í Mér Syngur Vitleysingur [wicked-cool song]
Festival [super-wicked-cool song]
Ára Bátur [super-wicked-cool song]
Fljótavík [wicked-cool song]
***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit

visit Sigur Rós MySpace here
Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust comes out on June 23rd, you can pre-order it here

bowery boy blue: stalk that myth

Comparable to Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers and Rolf Klausener of The Acorn, Bowery Boy Blue’s Zeb Gould has one of those gorgeously soft and delicate voices. Likewise, much like The Acorn’s Glory Hope Mountain, Zeb Gould’s magnificent vocal is backed by the equally brilliant instrumentations by the rest of the band on Stalk That Myth (the violin on "Come Closer Sisters", "Eye For Love" and "Ghost Of The Blues" is especially beautiful!). Bowery Boy Blue’s debut full-length is a fantastic folk rock album; it is wonderfully breathtaking and genuinely passionate.

Great Dead Town [wicked-cool song]
Come Closer Sisters [wicked-cool song]
Ghost Of The Blues [wicked-cool song]
***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit

visit Bowery Boy Blue's MySpace here
Stalk That Myth comes out on July 29th, pre-order coming soon!

new videos from cocorosie and radiohead

Here's a couple of new videos for your viewing pleasure:

The first one is Cocorosie’s psychedelic colour trip for "God Has A Voice, She Speaks Through Me".


The second video is Radiohead’s powerfully chilling video for "All I Need", my favourite track from In Rainbows.

old gypsy woman spoke to me, said you're a wolf boy get out of this town

I just saw Sea Wolf live at the El Mocambo in Toronto a couple of days ago. Despite what was probably the most disappointing audience reception I've ever seen at a Toronto show, the band was amazing. Sea Wolf plays to all of my weak spots: Cello elements, anecdotal lyrics, a decent variety in song styles... Add to that the wonderful vocals of Alex Church, and you've got the fantastic record that is Leaves in the River.

The band also collaborated with author Augusten Borroughs, producing the song "Song of the Magpie" for the audio version of A Wolf at the Table. The track is probably my favourite of Sea Wolf's.

See them on tour!

Song Of The Magpie
You're A Wolf
Song For The Dead

yet another very expensive sigur rós purchase!

After hearing (the uncharacteristic) "Gobbledigook", I am sure everyone is wondering what the rest of Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust is going to be like. A couple of days ago, another track ("Festival") from the new Sigur Rós album debuted on BBC Radio 1... this one is more 'Sigur Rós-like'... check out the radio rip of it below.

Also, the multiple editions of Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust are available to pre-order here.

Sigur Rós: Festival (Radio Rip) [wicked-cool song]
***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit

the tough alliance: a new chance

A New Chance by The Tough Alliance has been on my computer since last November, but I haven’t given it a chance till about two weeks ago. So what did I miss by not listening to it sooner? Months and months of brilliant dance-pop music! Wait, let me rephrase that... The Tough Alliance’s A New Chance is the best dance-pop record I have heard in the last 5 years (or ever)! Not since Annie’s Anniemal have I enjoyed a dance-pop record as much as A New Chance... and it is a thousand times better than Anniemal! The duo from Gothenburg, Sweden have created a pure and charismatic masterpiece. What I love most about the record is the positive and carefree vibe it produces. Every song is gold, the only problem I have with it is its short length (only 8 tracks and just over 30 mins); nevertheless, if I had listened to A New Chance last year (when the album came out), it would without a doubt be on my 2007 top album list!

First Class Riot [wicked-cool song]
The Last Dance [super-wicked-cool song]
Neo Violence [super-wicked-cool song]
***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit

buy A New Chance here

i wasn't talking about that king

These New Puritans begin their North American tour tomorrow! Head over to the band's US tour page for dates.

Elvis [wicked-cool song]
Navigate-Colours [wicked-cool song]
***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit

visit These New Puritans' MySpace here
buy Beat Pyramid here